Something's Off
by Elora Grace
Summary: This new guy is cute, conveniently in NYC, in the Nyada glee club, and totally into him. Why wouldn't Kurt give Adam a shot? So he starts to think that maybe he and Blaine weren't meant to be. But there's something about this new guy that's just... off. And Kurt can't quite figure out what - until some choice words clear his confusion. Speculation through 4x11 and 4x13.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Glee or any characters therein.

It was a thrilling and accomplished feeling for Kurt when he was finally accepted to NYADA, but now that he was actually here, he was feeling a bit lost. Everyone seemed to have somewhere they fit in, somewhere they belonged. He needed that too, Kurt decided. He needed to find his niche. So naturally, when a charismatic and handsome upperclassman from the glee club, which had presented itself with an impressive musical number, said "We want you," of course he felt inclined to accept the offer. Relieved to have something to ground him to the school, he slowly felt the feeling of being lost evaporate.

A few rehearsals of the glee club passed, and was it just him or was the rather attractive guy who invited him looking his way a little more often than was considered normal? Kurt made eye contact once and quickly looked away. He had been right. The other student was looking at him. Cautiously, he turned again. The guy was still staring at him, flashing a confident smile. Kurt smiled back, but not as brilliantly. The attention flattered him, but he was unsure of what to do about it.

"Name's Adam."

Kurt turned around suddenly. It was his admirer, the lead singer with the alluring accent. "I know, we've met."

"But not properly introduced," Adam replied, extending his hand.

"Kurt," he said, shaking it.

"Kurt," Adam repeated. His name sounded different coming from this guy's voice. It must have been the accent. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to The Bean Barrel with me."

Wow, an invitation for a date already. How very forward of Adam. Yet Kurt could not find the ability to complain. But what on Earth was the Bean Barrel? "What is that? Sorry, I'm still new around here."

"It's the coffee shop around the corner. Don't worry, you'll find it." Adam began to follow the rest of students out of the rehearsal space, most of whom had already left.

"Wait! What time are we meeting?" Kurt called after him.

"3:00 Saturday."

* * *

Hoping he had the right corner, Kurt wandered down the New York sidewalk. He was thinking about Rachel's warning last night about going out with Adam – something about social suicide that had only made him think of _Mean Girls_ – and how he was growing tired of her telling him what he ought to be doing with his life. He couldn't help but think she might have had a point about one thing, though. Maybe seeing someone else would be good for him. Maybe it could help him move on from Blaine. Maybe they weren't meant to be together after all. But even now, weeks and months later, it was still hard to think about. He starting reading all of the shop names as a distraction. "Candi's Candies," "Nautical Knick-Knacks," "Petite Feet," "Small Staples: Ties and Bowties," "The Ugly Duckling…" New York had a shop for everything. Finally he spotted it, "The Bean Barrel," literally on the corner of the street with an appropriately shaped entrance. He pushed open the door and breathed in the familiar aroma of coffee and for a moment he almost wished he were back at the Lima Bean. Almost. He saw Adam waving at him, already in line. Kurt joined him, and they engaged in trivial small talk until they reached the register.

"Yeah, I'll have an Espresso Macchiato," Adam told the cashier. "Hold the whip cream."

"And for you?" the cashier prompted. Kurt appeared not to be paying attention.

"Kurt, what would you like? Kurt?" Adam asked. Kurt gave a slight twitch of surprise.

"Oh. Right. Sorry, I don't know what I was waiting for," said Kurt. "I'll have a Grande Non-Fat Mocha."

"You okay?" Adam asked as they took a seat near the electric fireplace.

"Yeah, I just… zoned out there for a second, I guess," said Kurt. Something felt off about the awkward incident, but he couldn't place what. He took a sip of coffee before asking, "Where did you say you were from again?"

* * *

Kurt started running into Adam more often around the NYADA campus, and they found themselves enjoying each other's company quite frequently. It was usually only for a few minutes between classes or grabbing a quick bite to eat, but Kurt found it nice to have someone with whom to spend his spare time other than Rachel, who would either drag him to the dance studio to practice or insist on filling him in about her relationship with Brody.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted, hope this is okay," said Adam, handing him a disposable travel mug with a barrel patterned sleeve. Kurt took a sip. It was some kind of latte. Not bad, but certainly not his favorite.

"This is fine," said Kurt as Adam searched his backpack for his folder of sheet music. They needed to find a song for rehearsal later. Kurt caught the name of one.

"'U Can't Touch This?' Really? Do you have a thing for hits of the early 90s?" Kurt teased.

Adam chuckled. "I guess you could say that."

Kurt smiled and took another sip from his mug. Too much milk and not enough chocolate, he decided. He felt that off feeling again, but still couldn't place exactly what it was or what caused it.

* * *

After a few more days of spending many free moments with Adam, Kurt began to experience that off feeling more frequently, and it was now moving towards feeling uncomfortable. Little things Adam did, such as singing dated pop hits, randomly texting him back hours later, or wearing strange and sometimes downright hideous beanies that were too small for his head, began to get on Kurt's nerves. He couldn't explain why these things annoyed him as much as they did, but something just didn't feel right.

"You're cute," Adam said one day, about a week after he had asked Kurt out, as they sat in The Bean Barrel.

Kurt licked the remaining whip cream off his finger. "You think I'm cute?"

"The cutest."

And then Kurt knew. He knew what that off feeling was. He knew why being with Adam hadn't felt right to him. Even though Adam was a perfectly nice guy, quite attractive, and completely interested in him, there was just something missing. Cute. Adam called him cute. Not adorable. Not amazing. Not perfectly-imperfect. Adam never called him anything like that. Adam never sang flirty duets with him. Adam didn't even know his coffee order after having been out several times. Adam …

Adam wasn't Blaine.

"Kurt?"

Kurt realized he had been silent for quite a while now. "I have to go," he said suddenly, gathering his jacket and scarf.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think this is going to work out," he explained hastily.

Kurt barely heard a very confused Adam say, "Well, bye. I guess."

* * *

As soon as he found a place quiet enough to make a call, Kurt hit the all too familiar speed dial still programmed into his phone.

There were a few tense rings before, "Hello?"

"I know what you meant," Kurt said quickly, nearly cutting off the greeting.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked. "Meant about what?"

"I know what you meant when you said that after you…" he trailed off, searching for the right words, "after you were with someone else, you realized something about us."

"Kurt, were you…?" Blaine began. His tone was difficult to read, but Kurt kept talking anyway.

"No. Not intimately, at least. But back to what you told me a few months ago. Or tried to tell me before I got too frustrated to listen," Kurt continued. "You said that you doubted that we were meant to be together but after you were with someone else you realized we were." He took a deep breath. "I think I realized that, too."

"Kurt…" Blaine began, but unsure of how to continue.

"I'm not saying that I forgive you completely yet, but I think I'd be willing to talk about it. I… I want to try, Blaine," said Kurt earnestly, feeling his eyes water a little.

"I want to talk too, Kurt," said Blaine, sounding almost tearful. "Maybe… at the wedding?"

"Yeah, we'll…we'll talk at the wedding," said Kurt through a shaky breath.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."


End file.
